Making PDFs Accessible: A Practical Guide

Accessible PDFs are not just a legal requirement in many jurisdictions — they are a mark of professional quality and inclusive design. An accessible PDF is one that can be read and navigated by users who rely on assistive technologies such as screen readers, as well as users who navigate by keyboard rather than mouse. This guide explains what makes a PDF accessible and how to create documents that work for everyone.

While accessibility is often discussed in the context of users with visual impairments, accessible PDFs benefit a much wider audience:

Screen reader users: People who are blind or have severe visual impairments use software that reads document content aloud. Accessible PDFs provide the structure these tools need to navigate and interpret the content correctly.

Low vision users: People with partial sight may use zoom tools or high-contrast modes. Properly tagged PDFs work better with these tools.

Motor impairment users: People who cannot use a mouse navigate documents using keyboard shortcuts. Accessible PDFs support keyboard navigation.

Cognitive accessibility: Clear structure, logical reading order, and descriptive headings benefit users with cognitive disabilities and, frankly, all readers.

The foundation of PDF accessibility is the tagging structure. Tags are hidden metadata that describe the role and order of every element in the document — headings, paragraphs, lists, tables, images, and more. A screen reader uses these tags to present the document in a logical, meaningful order.

A PDF without tags is essentially inaccessible to screen reader users. The software has no way to determine what is a heading, what is body text, what is a caption, or what order to read elements in.

An accessible PDF should meet the following requirements:

Tagged structure: All content elements are tagged with appropriate roles (heading, paragraph, list item, table cell, etc.).

Logical reading order: The order in which a screen reader encounters content matches the visual reading order of the page.

Alternative text for images: Every meaningful image has a text description (alt text) that conveys its content or purpose to users who cannot see it. Decorative images are marked as artefacts so screen readers skip them.

Accessible tables: Data tables have proper header cells identified so screen readers can associate data cells with their row and column headers.

Bookmarks: Long documents have a bookmark panel that allows navigation to major sections.

Document language: The document language is specified so screen readers use the correct pronunciation rules.

The best approach to PDF accessibility is to create the accessibility features in the source document before converting to PDF.

In **Microsoft Word**, use the built-in heading styles (Heading 1, Heading 2, etc.) rather than manually formatting text to look like headings. Add alt text to images by right-clicking and selecting "Edit Alt Text". Use the built-in table tools rather than creating table-like layouts with tabs and spaces.

When exporting to PDF from Word, use "Save As PDF" with the "Document structure tags for accessibility" option enabled. This transfers the Word document structure into PDF tags.

After creating a PDF, you should verify its accessibility. Adobe Acrobat Pro includes an accessibility checker that identifies common issues. Free alternatives include the PAC (PDF Accessibility Checker) tool.

For a quick manual check, try navigating the document using only the Tab key and listen to how a screen reader (such as NVDA on Windows or VoiceOver on Mac) reads it. If the reading order is confusing or important content is skipped, the tagging needs attention.

In many countries, accessible PDFs are a legal requirement for public sector organisations and businesses serving the public. In the European Union, the Web Accessibility Directive and the European Accessibility Act require accessible digital documents. In the United States, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires federal agencies to make their electronic documents accessible.

Even where not legally mandated, accessible PDFs reduce the risk of discrimination complaints and demonstrate a commitment to inclusive practices.

When using AllPDFTools to process your documents: